Choosing the right Cabinet Materials Pt:3

Countertops

If you followed all of the different IMPORTANT decisions that have to be made so that you can bring your kitchen to life, by now you might feel like throwing in the towel. Frustrated, perhaps, and sometimes downright overwhelming, HOLD ON! You are almost done with all of the major decisions.{{more}}

You have this one still to consider: what material to use for your countertops. This is not a decision I think you should sweep through. Counter tops occupy about 55-60 sq ft on average in your kitchen space. It’s the third largest space occupier in the kitchen. Hence, the time spent on making sure it does what it’s supposed to do cannot be overstated.

COUNTER TOP OPTIONS

There are many options availble for homeowners to choose from when it comes to countertops. Here are some choices in no particular order. 1. Laminate, 2. Wood, 3. Tiles, 4. Granite, 5. Solid Surface, 6. Stainless Steel, &. Engineered Stone, 8. Natural Stone and concrete.

All of these choices have their positives and their negatives. They are best suited for different situations over the other, and they all bring their own unique feel and comfort to the place in which they work. Some of them are better than others, some are more durable, some add value and some take it away. Let’s look at a few of them closely.

Solid Surface – Quickly becoming one of the top choices in countertops, it is non porus, a lot of colours are available, the joints are seemless, they are durable and once taken care of properly (which really is just keeping it clean and not cutting it up with knives), direct fire and other hazards, it should really last you a lifetime. The wide variety of colours that is available makes it easy to match this top in almost any situation.

Granite – This might be the top choice of counter tops available in the world. These are some of the arguments for it: It is a natural stone, no two colours are the same, it gives a statement when you have granite installed in your kitchen, partly because it is a very expensive counter top. The look and feel of granite is commanding in its own right. The cost can vary, depending on a few factors like where you buy and where the stones comes from. There are a few downsides to granite, though. One of the major ones is that, because its a natural stone, it is pourous, so it absorbs almost all liquid that is placed on it, so it’s not very santiary. Some efforts are being made to seal it, but it’s something you have to keep doing in order to keep it so, thus making it a bit of a maintenance nightmare. Also, it’s not seemless, so you can see where the joints are. More next week.

Angelica and Rayan James

Exclusive Kitchens

494 2579 / 532 6756

www.exclusivekitchensvc.com